Is there an email provider that provides only email access, and has local PoPs?

There are certainly pure e-mail providers - I use one myself, Spamcop.net, which has serious spam filtering as part of the service (hence the name). The location of the server should be entirely irrelevant for most purposes, though; were you just wanting a 'local' e-mail address, or do you have some reason for wanting a nearby server? If the former, your best bet may be to register a domain - with the right registrar, they'll i

Sorry, i guess i wasn't clear. By PoP i meant a modem pool. Basically, so someone can get *only* email service. Similar to what Juno used to do.

Ah, you want e-mail and dialup service, but only to that e-mail? Very unlikely these days - almost all the work (hence expense) involved is in the dialup end: authentication, telco interconnect, servers - and they'd need Internet connectivity anyway to handle e-mail! You do get pure e-mail providers, but by the time you add in a dialup service it probably isn't ec

Actually, i'm debating if this is a good business idea.:) First thing, find out if anyone else does it.

My brother suggested a toll-free number. That way, everyone dials the same number, no matter where they reside. Plus, there is no hassle finding a number. Since emails don't take too long to download, the price should be minimal.

My brother suggested a toll-free number. That way, everyone dials the same number, no matter where they reside. Plus, there is no hassle finding a number. Since emails don't take too long to download, the price should be minimal.

On this scale, you may well find you'd be paying more to receive the 1-800 calls than the customers would pay to make it a regular long-distance call. Why are you so determined to exclude other services, and would that apply to things like Usenet as well?

you'd be paying more to receive the 1-800 calls than the customers would pay to make it a regular long-distance call.

Well, it's an idea. If it gets that far, we'll weigh that.

Why are you so determined to exclude other services

I think there is a market for such a service. First and foremost, i think some people want email, but are reluctant to have Internet access. The reasons are irrelevant though; all i care about is the market for it. There are other benefits that the price is cheaper, and possibly

NetZero [netzero.net] (which evolved from the merger of Juno and a competitor) still has a free version. It's limited to 10 hours of connect time per month, but that should be fine for checking your email as it would allow four 5-minute connections per day.

It says they have spam filtering, but I suppose there would be some ads they themselves shoot at you.

You should be aware that most people (I think) can use their cell phone as an email only Internet account. I know T-Mobile provides me with an email address, not that I use it, but its' there. The email is text only and gets downloaded directly to my phone.

Also, there is the blackberry service (at least I assume they are still around).

If there is interest in such a service, I think its pretty minimal, given that you can get the Netzero service for free - then should someone send you a URL in an email yo

Anyway, you are doing what i call compromising before you know what the idea is. I have an idea. I am thinking about researching it. If i do, i will then have a clear idea of what it is, and only then will i care about viability.

I am mentioning it here, and to a few people i know.I really don't think this exact service is out there. I am pretty sure there is a significant market for it, and i am positive that it could be worked out, if required.